Columbia group aims to recall first ward councilman

A Columbia group wants to collect signatures on a petition to remove First Ward Councilman Fred Schmidt from his post.

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/ KBIA

The group Keep Columbia Free has started a campaign to recall First Ward Representative Fred Schmidt.

The organization has reported support from voters who are displeased with decisions around blight-designations in Columbia. Keep Columbia Free’s president Mark Flakne says talks over the Enhanced Enterprise Zone proposal is the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“When we announced our plans to recall city council members who voted in favor of the EEZ plan, the overwhelming majority of contacts we received both via phone and email were from First Ward voters,” Flakne said.

He says voters are upset that Schmidt doesn’t respond to calls and have a problem with his support of the plan. Keep Columbia Free will begin collecting signatures which will start the recall process. The group will need at least 300 signatures to get this on the ballot.